Elaine Pelot-Syron : Thinking Outside The Square: A Retrospective (1972-2010)

Opening night: Sunday 14^th March, 4pm-5pm

Hours:  Tue - Thur 4.30 to 6pm; Sun 9am to 12 noon

I have been documenting people, places and events for over three decades. As an American emigrant from Bradenton, a small country town in Florida, I came to cosmopolitan Sydney in 1971, with fresh eyes.

I continued my high school English teaching and later was the owner of five photo shops. I learnt that photos are not just taken, they’re seen - and they tell a story.
 
My images evoke a sense of place and sense of space, unmasking both the eccentric and the eclectic in society.
 
They are provocative. They are candid. They are a slice through time of events as I’ve seen them. They are a blast from the past of demonstrations, arrival of Jewish refugees, Gay and Lesbian community events and the Indigenous struggle for recognition and justice.
These photos are not moralistic: I prefer to let each image tell its own story.
 
The exhibition title, Thinking Outside The Square typifies those in the images who often find themselves on the fringe of society.
 
My passion for documentary photography was kindled during the1970s when Indigenous legal, medical and land rights became explosive issues. I have had over 15 solo and multiple group exhibitions.
 
This is my first retrospective.
 
Over 200 black and white and colour carefully culled photographs, or perhaps they may even ‘visual transcripts’,  are being exhibited in the collection at the opening within a church setting, providing the exhibition with a sense of the sacred and surreal.
 
Images are laid out on the church pews creating a sense of engagement, and are a metaphor for presenting people “where they sat”.
Attendees are encouraged to visually sift through images of interest. 
 
During the general exhibition period over 20 framed images will for sale. 
 
For further information and an interview please contact:
Ms Elaine Pelot-Syron Ph 0411 725 981 after 2pm.
This is an Alcohol-free Event